Last Summer I Gave You My Heart
by The Atlantean
Summary: It's the summer before Team Avatar's final year at university. What mischief will they get up to before and during university? Modern AU with no bending. Korrasami with some Bopal.
1. The Trip

**Chapter 1: The Trip**

"That's the last of it," Korra said.

"Thank god," Bolin said as he leaned against the wall and wiped imaginary sweat off his forehead.

"Bolin, we were packing for like half an hour. Don't be dramatic."

Mako smirked at the look on Bolin's face which clearly showed him to be rather put out. It was the last day of university and they were all getting ready to leave for their summer holidays which were due to begin in one week. Mako and Bolin were considering either going to visit their family in the Earth Kingdom or simply staying at university over the break.

Meanwhile, she was going to go visit her family in the Southern Water Tribe. It had been nearly a year since she had been back home and she was itching to get back home but she would miss hanging out with her friends. Due to their extremely busy schedules, they hadn't exactly had a lot of time to spend with each other.

"Guys! You will never guess what!"

Asami had burst into Korra's dorm room with a look of utter excitement on her face while waving one of her engineering magazines. The three others gave her a look of pure confusion as she excitably brandished the magazine in their faces.

"Calm down 'Sami," Korra placed her hands on her shoulders and gave her a smile. Asami soon slowed her breathing and grinned down at Korra. Looking at her smile nearly intoxicated her like it always did. _God how she loved her_ but she forced herself to stay focused on what Asami was saying. It was tough. All she had to do was look into those green eyes and she would lose all sense of where she was or what she was doing. "So, what's this news you are dying to tell us?"

"The Great Exhibition is going to take place in Ba Sing Se! Finally! I have been waiting like months for them to announce it!"

The other three people in the room gave each other looks. What on earth was The Great Exhibition and why was Asami so excited?

"You have no idea what I'm talking about," Asami continued, looking dejected. Her friends all shook their heads. "Okay, so The Great Exhibition is where inventors and engineers get to show off their designs and if they win, they could get a massive contract to produce and build their invention."

"Oh," the other three said. Now it made sense why Asami was super excited. It must be like a kid going to a theme park for the first time.

"So, what are you going to enter?" Korra asked her friend.

"The new Satomobile designs I have been working on." Ah yes, those designs – the one that kept her up to three am designs. "Production has just finished on the prototype and it's getting delivered this week before the show." She looked positively delighted. It was so cute to see her like this. "And I was wondering if you guys would like to come with me for the grand revealing?" She looked like she was about to beg them to join them.

"Of course, we'll come Asami!" the words were out of Korra's mouth before she even had a chance to think.

"Oh, that's really sweet guys! But aren't you going to see your parents Korra?"

Goddammit, that's right. Time to think on your feet Korra.

"I'll let them know that I'll visit after the show. Besides, this seems important to you."

"You're the best Korra!" Asami quickly pulled her into a hug.

Korra had to physically restrain herself not to smell Asami's hair or look too content in her arms. Asami's touch was enough to send shivers down her back.

"Mako? Bolin? You guys in?"

"Sure," Mako said. "We were thinking of visiting our family in the Earth Kingdom. This whole thing could be fun."  
"You know what this means?" Bolin waited for his friends to try and guess but when nobody did, he barrelled on. "_Road trip!_"

"Um, I was thinking of just catching an airship," Asami said.

"But a road trip will be so much more fun! It will be just like old times. Come on guys, let's do one last big trip before we enter our final years at university!"

He looked around at them with puppy dog eyes – the kind that no one could say no to.

"Oh, alright," Mako said, speaking for the group as Bolin did a little victory dance.

"Oh, this means that Opal can come," Bolin said as he stopped dancing. "She would want to visit home. I better go tell her."

He quickly rushed out the door. Korra couldn't help but smile. She turned back to Asami who was flicking through her magazine with a look that reminded her of a little kid going through a pile of sweets.

"I best be off too," she said. "Gotta book those tickets! See you!"

Korra watched Asami leave, exhaling a small sigh as she did. There were times where she wished she could just come out and tell Asami the truth about her feelings but she didn't know how it would be received. Would she tell her to go away or be flattered but say no? In none of Korra's fantasies did Asami ever agree to date her. How could a girl like that fall for a girl like herself?

"Korra?"

"Yeah?" the sound of her name wrenched her back to reality.

"I see what you're up too."

Korra started to sweat a little. Had she been that obvious in her obvious attraction towards her best friend? Sure, she had kept it as down low as she could but had Mako noticed the way she stared at her, the way she examined every inch of Asami's perfect body? Hopefully, he didn't know what went inside her head.

"Yeah, you're trying to escape going home."

Korra internally sighed in relief. Mako was going to make a great detective one day but luckily for her, he was clueless in this.

"No," Korra shook her head. It was the truth. The truth was that she missed her parents greatly but there was also that overwhelming feeling of wanting to be near Asami. "I just want to have some time with my friends. I mean, how much did we really see each other this year?"

"Not a lot," Mako agreed.

"Yeah which is why we should do this trip."

"I understand and I agree but are you sure this is what this is about?"

Goddammit, he's giving her that look again that made her think he knew what was going on in her head. She knew it all too well from when they had gone out. Yep, they had dated for a full six months two years ago before their fights got too intense and they decided they would be better off being friends. It ended up being for the best. They were much better friends than they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

"I am sure Mako," he gave her another look. "Honest!"

"Okay then!" he seemed content with that which only made Korra breathe a little easier.

"Well, I better get ready for this trip."

As he left, Korra took out her cell phone and called her mother. Hopefully, her parents won't be too disappointed with what she was about to tell them. It was probably too much to hope that they would be all for it. Her mother picked up on the second ring.

_"__Hey honey, you excited to be coming home?"_

"Um, about that," Korra quickly explained what was going on. "This is really important to Asami so I think I should go. Besides, we won't be gone long and I'll be home after the event."

There was a small pause. _Please don't be mad_, Korra thought desperately to herself. She really hated it when her mum was angry.

_"__Sounds like fun dear,"_ Korra could have made a whooping sound but she didn't. Instead, she did a silent fist pump. Maybe she had been right to hope. _"I guess we'll see you when you get here in a few weeks."_

"You will mum!"

_"__Who else is going besides Asami?"_

"Bolin, Opal and Mako."

_"__Mako?"_ Oh no, here it comes, she was going to ask more questions about this trip now. _"Are you sure that's a good idea? He did break your heart sweetie."_

"Mum, that was two years ago and I'm over it." Not to mention completely heads over heels for someone else, she added in her head.

_"__Mako is a nice boy though." _Oh boy, she knew where this was going. Her mum can really go from one extreme to the other whenever they discuss Mako. First, she warns her around him and then suddenly she's all Team Mako? She nearly rolled her eyes but her mum always liked Mako. He had been her first serious boyfriend and love. Sure, she had a few dates with other guys but they had never gone anywhere. Then she had to fall for the one person she probably could never get; Asami Sato.

"Mum, Mako and I aren't getting back together. We're just friends."

_"__Okay love."_

Korra shook her head. "Goodbye, mum. I love you."

_"__I love you, honey!"_

Korra hung up the phone and let her thoughts drift back to Asami. Argh, she groaned as she collapsed onto her bed. Why was love this difficult?

* * *

Asami pressed the 'add to cart' button. She was currently on the website for The Great Exhibition currently buying tickets. It had been a toss-up between the All-Access Pass and the VIP Pass (seriously though, she couldn't make out the difference between them) but she settled on the VIP Pass as that seemed to allow the most access (apparently?).

When Korra had offered to come, her stomach had done a somersault with joy. A small part of her had been hoping it was just going to be Korra and herself. She squirmed with guilt at the thought of leaving Mako and Bolin behind. Well, maybe she would be able to score some alone time with Korra during this trip.

All year, she had been trying to pluck up some courage to tell Korra how she truly felt about her – about how her heart increases its beat every time she laid eyes on her or how she gets utterly memorised by her smile and yearns to see it. Asami could have knocked her head against her keyboard. Ugh, she sounded like a lovestruck teenager but then again, she was completely lovestruck.

Asami entered in her credit card details and pushed the button that said 'Pay Now'. As she waited for her transaction to be processed, her thoughts returned to Korra. She had decided that during this summer she would tell her how she felt. If she would ever get that courage she needed.

To keep her thoughts from constantly drifting to her dark-skinned friend, she forced herself to think about The Great Exhibition. The excitement from before returned and she could feel herself shaking. This was the first time in years she would be able to go. The last time she went was with her father before he went to jail. A scowl appeared as thoughts of her father came into her head. She hadn't exactly spoken to him in several years ever since his involvement with a terrorist group had been made public. She didn't know if forgiveness was in the future but there was a small part of her that hoped one day her father would see the wrongs he did.

The door then opened and Asami looked behind her and gave a smile at the person who just entered.

"So, Bolin said something about a road trip?" Opal took a seat on Asami's bed.

"Yeah, we are heading off to Ba Sing Se and checking out some other places. Maybe we could even head to Zaofu to see your family."

"That would be nice, I haven't seen mother and father in a while."

"Yeah, it will be nice to see Su."

"So, who else is coming?"

"Oh, just the gang, you and Bolin, obviously, Korra and Mako."

"Mako huh?" Opal wagged her eyebrows at her. Asami shot her a look which made Opal quickly resend her earlier comment. "I was just teasing, sorry! I'll stop! I promise!"

"You know very well that Mako and I haven't dated in like three years!"

The whole mess of dating Mako and being part of a love triangle was something that Asami would rather leave in the past. She and Korra behaved quite badly and that was something she regretted. At least her friendship with Korra never suffered any consequences which was something she was grateful for.

"I know, I know," Opal looked like she regretted teasing Asami but she still launched into her next sentence as if she didn't. "So, talking about romantic relationships, is there anyone you're interested in?" she wagged her eyebrows again.

"N-no," Asami felt her face going red. She quickly turned away, hoping that Opal didn't see but she was hoping in vain as Opal let out a small giggle.

"There is!" she cried. "Tell me about him!"

Well for starters it's a _her_, Asami mentally replied but decided against telling Opal anything. She didn't feel like gossiping about her love life with anyone yet – well not until she knew how Korra felt anyway. Besides, her love life was private and none of their business. Her silence made Opal pout, almost begging for a reply but none came. Asami was saved having to explain anything by the door opening and in walked Opal's boyfriend.

"This trip is going to be awesome," Bolin threw himself onto the bed next to Opal. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek before continuing. "So, what are you ladies discussing?"

"Just chatting about the trip," Asami said before Opal could open her mouth. "Just seeing what we could get up to."

They continued to chat until Bolin and Opal decided they had to leave and celebrate the end of exams. Asami didn't want to know what this entailed so she just waved goodbye. This left Asami in her room looking at her screen and the confirmation for her tickets. Her phone buzzed and she looked down at it and saw that it was a message from Korra. Grinning to herself, she opened up the message.

_Can't wait for this trip – it will be fun to hang like old times._

Old times, they seemed so far in the past. University really has placed a damper on their social life especially with the last month being taken up by exams. Asami quickly typed out a reply.

_Me either, it's going to be cool. Tickets have been purchased and we are good to go!_

_Nice one Sami! I call shotgun in the car!_

_Already booked that seat for you._

_Yes! Take that Mako!_

Asami had to suppress a laugh. Korra could be so cute. Her fingers hovered over the keypad of her smartphone. She was tempted to ask Korra for some time to talk but then decided against it and instead, she placed her phone by her computer. Inside, her heart started to beat faster and she could feel the sweat on her palms. She, of course, had to fall for the one person that she knew was impossible to get; the superstar of the university sports circuit. The one that everyone cheered for.

Argh! Why was love so difficult?

**A/N: So this is a little idea I had for Korrasami. More to come!**


	2. Scuffle In The Middle of Nowhere

**Chapter 2: Scuffle In The Middle of Nowhere**

_One Week Later_

The sun shone high in the sky, beaming down on the five friends as they piled into large Satomobile that Asami had managed to procure for their trip. As promised, Korra was allowed to be shotgun besides Asami while the brothers and Opal all piled in the backseat. How Korra managed to beat Mako to the front was a mystery but the last time she saw him, he was rubbing his head as if he got smacked pretty good.

She watched as Korra slid into the front seat. The two friends exchanged a grin that made Asami melt inside. How did Korra manage to always do that?

"Asami?" a voice came from the back seat, a voice that belonged to Bolin.

"Hmm?"

"I said we are ready!"

Asami quickly realised that she and Korra have been staring at each other for the past few minutes. Blushing furiously, she quickly got the car into gear and started to head out of Republic City. The road to Ba Sing Se was pretty uneventful. Asami kept stealing glances at the girl sitting next to her who was gazing out of the window. She noticed that Korra was looking rather excited.

_Say something_, but what? Asami cast her mind around for a topic of conversation but whenever Korra was around these days, her brain went numb.

"Nice weather," she said. Asami mentally smacked herself. The weather, she thought, she was talking about the weather.

"Yeah, it is," Korra sighed as her attention moved to the green-eyed woman who was driving. "So Asami, I've been wondering something."

"Yeah?" Asami turned her head to look at her. "I wondered what the noise was."

That earned her a playful smack.

"So _anyway_," Korra continued, she glanced behind her and dropped her voice. "Who's this mystery guy?"

"What?" Asami turned to look at her, her heart sinking rapidly. "Oh no, Opal has been gossiping!"

That was exactly what she didn't want. Opal going around gossiping about her love life. What if Korra got the wrong idea? Asami gulped and tried to summon up something to say but she didn't want to blurt out her feelings right there and then.

"Let me guess, we must know him otherwise you would have mentioned it to us ages ago," Korra went into thought. Was there a look of sadness playing in the background of her eyes or was Asami just seeing things? Yep, it had to be the latter. As if Korra would be sad to hear that she may be into someone else.

"Look Korra," Asami began but she was suddenly cut off by Mako's voice.

"Asami! Watch out!"

"Huh?"

Asami realised she hadn't exactly been paying the most attention to the road. Her head was caught up with what Korra was thinking. She quickly looked at the road and realised she had been drifting into the next lane and there was a rather large Satomobile coming directly towards her.

Asami wrenched on the steering wheel, narrowly missing the other car but the car skidded off the road and landed in a ditch. Steam seemed to come out from under the hood which Asami attempted to examine but only got a face full of steam.

"The car is stuck," Mako said, bending down and examining the tires which were indeed stuck. He turned back Asami. "What the hell Sato? Why weren't you paying attention?"

"I er…" Asami looked away from him. She didn't really want to explain that her thoughts were drifting into the Korra territory and that was enough to distract her from anything.

"Look, it doesn't matter," Korra suddenly took charge. Asami liked it when she did. "There is a town not too far away from her. Why don't you three –" she pointed at the brothers and Opal, "Go get some help. Maybe get a towing truck? And we will wait here and try and repair what we can. Asami is a wiz when it comes to engineering."

"Yeah, that may be a good plan," Opal sighed. "Especially with our cell phones getting no reception."

Asami watched as Opal and the brothers headed down the road towards the town. Next to her Korra was looking at the engine. God, she looked so cute trying to pretend to be into cars.

"So, uh, I guess this is…not supposed to be like this?" Korra may be a superstar on the athletics field but this wasn't exactly her area of expertise.

"Here, let me," Asami started to fiddle with the engine. Suddenly, she realised that she and Korra were alone and Korra was inches away from her. Why did Korra send the others away? It wasn't as if Asami wanted time alone with Korra, it was just that she wasn't exactly ready yet – she hadn't prepped anything to say! This is your chance though, she told herself, while the others are away. Maybe she should tell Korra what was going on in her mind.

"Um, Korra," she started but then her courage failed her. She had been struck by a thought. What if she didn't like her back? It would just make the whole trip awkward. No, she shook herself mentally. She had to do this. Even if Korra didn't like her back, then it would help her move on.

"Ya?" Korra's face suddenly appeared right in front of Asami's. Beads of sweat suddenly dripped down her face. She fought the urge to just take her and kiss her.

"Let's say you liked someone," she began and Korra's face turned to excitement.

"Oh, are we talking about that mystery guy?"

"And you were scared that they didn't like you back, should you still tell them?" Asami continued, ignoring Korra.

"Yes, I think so," Korra looked deep in thought as she said these words.

"What if you had a really good friendship going and you didn't want to ruin it?"

"Oh my god," Korra suddenly looked like she had realised something. "I know who you are talking about!"

Asami blushed. Could Korra know the truth?

"Asami, do you like-"

She was cut off by the sound of incoming Satomoblie coming their way. The car parked alongside them and out came Mako, Bolin and Opal all looking quite pleased with themselves. A man was with them. He was dressed in a plaid shirt and had overalls splattered with oil.

"Looks like you got yourself into quite the mess here," he said as he examined the car.

"Yeah," Asami felt guilty again. This was after all her fault. She still couldn't believe she took her eyes off the road, even for a second. Usually, she was an excellent driver (Korra keeps telling her that she should go pro but she figured being the future CEO of a massive company was enough).

The five friends looked as the tow truck managed to get the car out of the ditch and onto the side of the road. Asami breathed a sigh of relief as she checked the Satomobile out. There didn't seem to be any long-term damage and the car would be fully operational again very soon. The man watched as Asami quickly tinkered with the engine to make sure it was up and running.

"You're pretty good with your hands," the man said, admiring Asami's work.

"Thanks," she shut the hood of the Satomobile and got into the front of the car. She twisted the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life which earned her some cheers from her friends.

"We could use someone like you down at the garage!" the man looked the most impressed out of all of them.

"Thanks, but I am spoken for," Asami turned to her friends who had all piled into the Satomobile. "Let's go!"

* * *

A couple of days later, Korra and the others found themselves in one of the many Earth villages on their way to Ba Sing Se. She didn't exactly want to admit it (least of all to herself) but she was starting to get bored. She was itching for a little bit of excitement. The time that Asami drove off the road had been the most excitement they had gotten so far. That had been an interesting experience. What had caused Asami to drive off the road though? Well, guess she would never know.

The five friends were walking down the streets of the little town that they were in. They were looking for any food store where they could stock up. After empty street after empty street, they finally managed to find a store that stocked groceries. Little did they realise that trouble was just around the corner for them.

They entered the store and looked around. It was a quaint little shop that had very limited options for food but it would do. Asami handed them all a piece of paper that had a few items on it. Korra looked down at hers and was pleased to see that all it said was bread and milk. Well, they would be easiest to find. As predicted, Korra found the bread and milk the fastes out of all the gang. They were about to pay for their items when the doorbell rang and in walked three guys who would not look out of place in a motorcycle gang. Korra actually saw three motorcycles sitting outside so she wasn't completely off.

Korra watched as the three guys pushed past them (there was a scowling look given by Mako, Korra and Asami which was ignored) and leaned against the counter. The man behind the counter looked terrified.

"It's pay day," the one at the front said. He spoke in a rather spiteful voice and seemed to enjoy what was going on.

"I am sorry sirs," the man let out a small frightened squeak. "Business has been slow and-"

He was interrupted by the first biker banging his fist on the table.

"We are not interested in your excuses old man," he said. "Now be a good boy unless you would want to be reacquainted with Kono"

The man called Kono cracked his knuckles which was enough to send the poor shopkeeper scurrying under the table.

"Hey, who do you think you are?" Korra was quite angry now at the scene that was taking place in front of her. How dare they threaten that poor shopkeeper!

"Don't," whispered Asami urgently in Korra's ear while grabbing her upper arm but Korra yanked herself free.

"Leave the man alone!"

"Girl, you've got three seconds to apologies and get your arses out of here," the first biker said.

"Or what?" Korra said rather defiantly.

"Or you get to see what happens to people who tangle with Black Samurai!"

Korra didn't know what or who the Black Samurai was nor did she care. All that she cared about was the poor shopkeeper that was being harassed. Korra looked at the three men in front of her. She had earnt several black belts over the many years she had been practicing martial arts (as did the rest of the group), so she was sure she could take these guys. They didn't look too…big?

The man known as Kono was started to advance on her. Korra took up a fighting stance which made the bikers laugh.

"Look, guys, she wants to fight!"

"Let's teach her and her friends a lesson or two!"

"Oh Korra, what did you get us into?" Asami sighed.

Kono lunged at Korra who grabbed him the upper arm and flipped him. He landed on the floor with a loud thump. The other two bikers looked shocked for a second but then they too lunged forward. The five friends all took up defensive stances. Korra dodged the first one and then Asami swung her foot underneath his feet causing him to lose his balance and fall. Meanwhile, the brothers had taken the second one and thrown him into the wall which he hit hard with a loud thud. Opal spun her foot at his face which caused him to spit out some blood.

The other two got to their feet, rubbing their aching bodies. They didn't look too happy at the sight of the five friends still looking ready to fight. This was too easy, thought Korra.

"You will regret this," the first biker said. "Come on guys."

The three bikers tailed it out of there as quickly as they could, not even looking back. Korra felt quite elated at the prospect of taking out some misbehaving biker gang members.

"That was amazing!" the shopkeeper had crawled out of the space he had been hiding in. He looked admirably at the five customers in his shop. "How can I ever repay you?"

"By selling us this food!" Korra said placing the fallen food onto his counter.

The five friends left the shop, feeling quite elated with themselves ten minutes later laden with their groceries. Their good mood lasted approximately the next five minutes but little did they know that it was going to evaporate. They packed everything into their Satomobile when Opal seemed to notice something in the distance.

"Uh guys?" she pointed to a dust cloud in the distance except it wasn't a dust cloud. Korra squinted her eyes to see what it really was. It was about a couple of dozens of people on motorbikes. Now, Korra was good at defending herself but she doubted she was that good.

"In, quickly!" she yelled.

"That's them there!" someone in the biker pack yelled out.

What had she gotten them into?

The five friends quickly jumped into the car and waited for Asami to start up the Satomobile. She seemed to be taking her time as the bikers drew closer and closer.

"Uh, Asami?" Korra said, her voice sounding quite anxious.

"Hold on!" snapped Asami.

The engine roared into life and the vehicle took at such a speed that it caused Korra to be forced back into her seat. Asami weaved the Satomobile in between the narrow streets that were clearly not designed for their vehicle. A biker came up close to Asami's side and tried to take the wheel. In response, she yanked the wheel in the direction of the biker and the Satomobile slammed into the bike. The biker yelled as he was forced off the bike.

"Nice one Asami!" cheered Bolin.

"It's not over yet," Asami said darkly.

She was right. A couple of more bikers came up towards and lobbed something into the vehicle. Whatever it was, it landed in Korra's lap. She picked it up and examined it.

"Bomb!" she yelled in fright as realised what it was. A ticking noise could be heard from it – undoubtedly some sort of timer.

"Get rid of it Korra!" Asami yelled.

"No," Korra said very sarcastically, "I thought we could keep it."

"No time for jokes Korra!" Mako said. "Chuck the damn thing!"

Korra turned around in her seat and took careful aim. She lobbed the bomb in the direction of the bikers. There was a loud booming sound as the bomb went off in mid-air causing a large dust cloud that engulfed the bikers. There were loud coughing sounds from the bikers as they came to a halt.

"And that's how you do it!" Korra turned back in her seat, looking rather pleased with herself. "But seriously, who the hell throws a bomb in the middle of a car chase?"

"High-speed car chases and beating up goons, what sort of road trip did you imagine we'd be on?" Opal glared at her boyfriend.

"The fun kind?" he stammered back.

"I don't know about you but I find this rather fun," Korra said.

"Of course, you do," Asami snickered as they made their way out of the city gates.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed chapter two - filled with a little more action. Stay tuned for more.**


	3. Lost

**Chapter 3: Lost**

"Are you sure you're going the right way 'Sami?" Bolin asked.

"Yes!" Asami responded for the thousandth time.

"Then why are we going in circles?"

"_Do you want to drive Bolin_?!"

Korra looked over to Bolin and saw that he was slowly sinking into his seat. She had to suppress a laugh at the look on his face that clearly suggested he would rather do anything but drive through the countryside. She allowed a small smile come over her face as she looked out the window. As they passed a sign, she thought there was something familiar about it…

"Uh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we've passed that sign at least three times before."

Asami slammed on the brakes – hard. Everyone flew forward. The people in the backseat collided with the seats in front of them while Korra whacked her head on the dashboard.

"Watch it!" she rubbed head. "That hurt."

"Someone, please, get the map," Asami pinched the bridge of her nose. It looked like she was seriously trying not to lose it.

There was suddenly the noise of people scrambling around the Satomobile. Korra looked between her feet and around her seat but found nothing. In between her seats maybe? Nope, it wasn't there either. There were sounds of 'not here' and 'can't find it' coming from the backseat.

"Sorry, Asami," Korra shrugged. "We must have lost it."

Korra wondered if the usually perfectly poised heiress was going to scream. It certainly looked like she wanted to whack her head against the steering wheel. Instead, she took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"This is okay," she said more to herself than to anyone else.

"What now?" Opal asked the group who all shrugged.

"There's a town over there," Mako pointed out. "Maybe we can ask them for directions?"

Everyone looked around. Sure enough, there was a town that didn't look more than twenty or thirty minutes away. There were mumblings of an agreement at Mako's words – Korra included. Asami started the Satomobile up again and it roared into life. It didn't take them too long to reach the town that Mako had spotted.

They parked the Satomoblie by the front of the town. Like the others, it was quite a rural looking town that looked like it hadn't seen a technological upgrade since a few decades ago. Korra and the others started to look around the town – looking for anything or anyone that could help them out (maybe there was a town centre that they could visit?) However, there didn't seem to be a soul in sight. That unnerved Korra slightly. Surely the town population couldn't so low that they had gone nearly ten minutes without seeing someone.

It was like they had stepped into a ghost town – hopefully without too many ghosts.

"Is anyone getting a freaky vibe?" Mako asked.

"Yeah, actually this feels odd," Korra said.

"Maybe they're all at like a town meeting?" Bolin suggested with a half shrug.

"Or maybe they're avoiding us," Asami narrowed her eyes at a nearby building.

"Why would they do that?"

"Because of this," Mako had walked over to where giant posters were hung. In big large letters read the words 'DANGEROUS HOOLIGANS! WATCH OUT!' followed by a description of the five friends.

"Oh my god," Korra tore one of the posters down and stared at it with disgust on her face. "Those creeps were intimating that poor guy and we're dangerous hooligans?" she shook her head and crumpled up the poster before chucking it in the bin.

"What I can't believe is how far the Black Samurai's reach is," Asami said. "Or how quickly they got their information out so fast."

"Seriously who the hell are these Black Samurai people?"

Korra had originally thought they were some gang – like the Triple Threats back in Republic City – but there was something about seeing that poster that changed her mind on that. Could they be more than a simple town gang?

"Er guys, I think we should get out of here," Opal said. "People are staring."

Korra looked to see where Opal was looking. Behind curtains in the houses, she could see the peeking faces of the citizens. As soon as they noticed that Korra was looking, they quickly ducked behind the curtains. The looks that the people had given her just before they shut the curtains didn't inspire any hope.

"But we haven't got directions," Bolin whimpered. "We could be stuck going around in circles for ages!"

"Opal's right, we should be moving," Korra said. Her mind was still on that look she was given. "Let's try the next town."

Something then whacked against her head and bounced onto the ground. She let out a yelp of pain and massaged her head for the second time that day.

"What on earth?" she wondered out loud.

She looked up and saw several kids on the roof of a nearby building – and they were throwing rocks. Another one came in their direction and the five friends quickly got out of the way. However, Korra wasn't so lucky. A third rock had been flung at her and whacked her in the head again.  
"Ow!" she looked up and saw the children giggling.

"Next town it is!" Bolin quickly said.

The gang rapidly made tracks for their Satomobile only to discover that someone had keyed it. Korra braced herself for Asami's outburst. One of the few things that the heiress cared very deeply about was her cars.

"Are you kidding me?" an exasperated Asami said as she traced the scratch with her finger. "This is a brand new Satomobile!"

"I said it before and I'll say it again," Korra said. "Who the _hell_ do these Black Samurai think they are?"

"Let's just get out of here," Opal said with a glancing look behind her.

It was five hours later when they finally managed to find a town without a map (which Asami was quite proud of herself for doing). Thankfully when they entered the town, nobody threw rocks at them this time. It took a little bit of time but they managed to find a small inn where they could have some rest.

"I've only got two rooms left, so you will have to share," the lady behind the counter said.

Only once did they get to the rooms did they fully understand what share meant. One room had a small double bed and tiny single bed. Opal and the brothers took this room – with them all fighting not to be in the small bed (Mako lost that). The other room was even smaller. There was just one small double bed in the room. Korra had been under the impression that both rooms would be identical but she was sadly mistaken.

"Guess, we're sharing a bed," Asami said with a shrug.

Korra could feel herself going red at this. This wasn't exactly how she imagined sharing a bed with Asami. She managed to stammer out an answer to this as Asami placed her bag onto the bed. Night was starting to creep up on them fast, so they got changed rather quickly – taking turns in the bathroom. There was a pause as they both hovered by the bed.

"Er, what side do you prefer?" Korra hesitantly asked.

"I'll take the left," Asami shrugged again.

They both climbed into the bed – it was so small that Korra could feel Asami's body pressed against her. She turned on her side and at the same time Asami did. Their faces were so close. Korra could feel her face turning hot once again. Why did Asami and she have to share a room? It would have been less awkward to share a room with Mako and he was her ex-boyfriend!

Korra forced herself to turn onto her other side and close her eyes. She tried not to think about how close Asami was lying next to her or things she wished she could do. After a long while, sleep soon came to her.

* * *

Asami was awoken – rather rudely she might add – when a foot collided with her back. She opened her eyes and glared around to see what was going on. Next to her, Korra was lied spread out (taking up at least three-quarters of the bed) with her leg connecting with her back. She gave her friend a small scowl. Now Asami could always go back to sleep – well at least try to – but she wasn't going to give up without fixing the situation.

She sat up and started to nudge at Korra calling softly her name. Korra let out a groan but then turned over and stayed asleep. A loud snore escaped her as she turned again and this time her hand whacked against Asami. Well, two can play at this game, she thought to herself. With all she can muster at this time of night, she pushed her sleeping companion off the bed and onto the floor. Korra woke up with a yell and a shock.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Next time don't kick me in my sleep," Asami grabbed the blankets and turned onto her side. "Or whack me with your hand."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Korra climbing back into their bed with a look of discomfort on her face. She had to suppress a small grin at her revenge. The war wasn't over though. She could feel the tugging on blankets that she had wrapped herself in.

"Asami," whined Korra. "Give me some blankets."

"But I'm cold," Asami whined in perfect imitation of Korra.

"Asami!"

"Fine!"

Asami relinquished the blankets rather begrudging but let out a small smile at the fact she might have won this late-night war. There was a long silence as both women lay on their sides, staring at the walls.

"Asami?" Korra said again, only this time more gently.

"Yes?"

"Are you still awake?"

"No, I am sleep talking."

Korra sat up and crossed her legs while Asami copied her. There was another silence that came between them. There was something that was preying on the other girl's mind, Asami could feel it. She waited to see if Korra would say something but she didn't. So Asami took the matter into her own hands.

"What's on your mind Korra?" Asami asked.

"You know how you asked me about relationships the other day?" Asami nodded and Korra continued. "I've been thinking, say you do fall for a friend and they don't like you back. Does the relationship you had before get weird or does it stay the same?"

"I think it's weird only if you let it," Asami said after a few moments. "It also depends on the friendship."

"Say you're really close to this person – they're like your best friend."

"I would say in that case…" but Asami's words suddenly disappeared as she realised how close she and Korra were sitting to each other. Korra's hands were on knees and she was looking into her green eyes. All that she could see was blue. "Um…Korra, I think…" but she trailed off again. Why couldn't she get the words out? Oh, that's right, all she wanted to was lean in and kiss her but she knew she couldn't – or could she? No, that was ridiculous, Korra was probably just not into personal space. She could feel the heat rising to her face. Her hands started to shake a little. Korra's eyes never left hers.

"Asami?" Korra asked in a soft voice.

There was something that almost compelled Asami to lean forward. What was she doing? Was she crazy? Her brain was saying 'abort, abort' but she couldn't stop herself. She could feel herself being pulled in.

Suddenly a loud snore could be heard from the next room. It jerked Asami back into reality. To explain her sudden movement, she pretended to straighten up one of the pillows. Korra was giving her a weird look but she didn't say anything.

"Good night Korra," Asami quickly lay back down and pretended to be asleep. She could feel Korra doing the same thing. That had been close. That could have ended in disaster. She could practically see Korra pushing her away. Ah well, maybe it wasn't worth telling her then. She glanced a small peek in Korra's direction. Deep down, she knew she wasn't asleep either. A small image of Korra giving her a smile entered her brain. A smile came across her own features.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was worth it after all.

**A/N: Little bit of fluff in this. More to come!**


	4. Ba Sing Se

**Chapter 4: Ba Sing Se**

Korra didn't sleep for the rest of that night. Her thoughts kept drifting onto Asami who was lying next to her. What had happened between them? Had they had a romantic moment? Or had it all been in her head? Argh, she buried her face into her pillow. Most likely it had been the latter. She had been sure that Asami had tried to kiss her – in fact, she had felt herself wishing to lean in – but then nothing had happened. So, she had come to the conclusion that maybe it had been all in her – but the memory of Asami looking like she was leaning in burned brightly in her brain.

After a harrowing attempt at sleep, morning came upon them. Looking over at her companion showed Korra that she hadn't slept a wink either. Had Asami been thinking about the same things she had been thinking about? They quickly got dressed at met the others for breakfast at a small café near the inn. They would be departing for Ba Sing Se soon – according to the directions that the innkeeper had given them, it wasn't that far from their position. Somehow, they had ended up exactly where they needed to be.

Breakfast was an awkward experience for Korra. She kept stealing glances over at Asami wondering what had happened between them. Had she leaned in for a kiss or had it been something else. She could have whacked her head against the table but she refrained herself from doing so (she doubted her brain could handle another whack what with it being hit by rocks and the dashboard all in a day).

"Are you two okay?" Bolin asked as he stared between them. "You've been awfully quiet the entire morning."

"We're okay," both girls said at exactly the same time which only made the brothers and Opal share a look.

"Did something happen last night?" Opal asked cautiously.

"No!" the girls both shook their heads.

Another look was shared but nothing further was said on the subject for which Korra was glad about. She didn't want to get into why she was feeling super awkward about it. Although why was Asami feeling awkward? She probably could sense that she had been talking about her and that's why she felt awkward. She obviously didn't feel the same. That made her feel quite dejected.

With one final look at Asami, she ate her eggs in silence.

* * *

Asami attempted to eat her French toast but she could feel the stares of her companions on her – trying to work out what was going on. Next to her, Korra was silently eating her eggs without looking at anyone else – well almost anyone else. She had caught the girl looking her way a few times but never caught her eye. Had she worked out what she had almost done? (That would certainly explain why Korra felt as awkward as she did.) She couldn't believe that she had almost kissed Korra. What had she been thinking? That was the problem though – she hadn't been.

Thankfully there wasn't any more talk about the weirdness that was now floating between the two of them which allowed her to try and finish her breakfast. However, she couldn't. Her stomach was in knots at the prospect of what must be going through Korra's mind. Maybe she should just come out and say the truth. Although this hardly seemed to be the most appropriate time.

They were about to leave the café when Korra had an idea. While Asami was working out the cheque and getting everyone to pay their share, Korra walked up to the front where a nice old lady was working.

"Can I get you anything more, dear?" she asked.

"I just have a question, you're from around these parts correct?"

"That would be correct."

"What do you know about the Black Samurai?" the question had been preying on her mind and finally she might get some answers. The older women's face darkened.

"They are a terrible bunch of people, pray that you don't get mixed up with that lot!" she then hurried off to serve another group of people leaving Korra to think about what she had said. So, it sounded like this gang gave a lot of people trouble. Hopefully, they will be able to stay out of their way.

Approximately an hour later, they all clambered into the Satomobile with Asami once again driving. This time, Korra had been challenged to the front seat by Mako. They had debated from the breakfast café all the way to Satomobile. While they were arguing, Opal sauntered into the front seat ahead of them without any of them noticing. Neither one of them looked impressed and were currently sitting in the backseat looking rather defeated. Asami had thought that maybe Opal had an ulterior motive for wanting to sit in the front and rather sit next to her boyfriend. She would soon be proven to be right.

The next hour's car ride went by rather smoothly. Opal fiddled with the radio while the backseat chattered away to each other. They seemed to be playing twenty questions with each other. It was Mako's turn and his choice seemed to be stumping the other two. Asami could see Korra through the rear-view window. Her laugh made her smile.

"So, about breakfast," Opal suddenly started.

Oh boy, Asami thought, here it comes. She knew that that conversation hadn't ended in the café. It would only be a matter of time before one of them came back to it. It looked like Opal might have drawn the short straw in that regard.

"What about breakfast?" she asked as casually as she could. She kept her eyes on the road. She did not want Opal seeing her turning red.

"What was exactly going on?"

"Look, it had just been a really weird night," she had decided on telling Opal the truth – or at least half of it. "Korra and I, we just had a private conversation, that's all. It was rather…intense."

"Ah, I see," Opal nodded and looked back out the window. Asami breathed a small sigh of relief. She just hoped that her friend had bought that version of events and wouldn't dig further into it.

"Look Ba Sing Se!" Bolin's excited voice cut through her thoughts and Asami realised where they were.

In front of them, a large glorious city that could rival Republic City came into view. They had indeed arrived at Ba Sing Se.

* * *

The group moved around the markets and were careful not to bump into anyone. That was a lot easier said that done as there were so many people around. Korra stood by a local food booth taking in all the smells. It all looked so good.

"So, you just curious or are you going to actually buy something?" the lady at the booth asked.

"I guess you could call me buy-curious," Korra responded as she picked up a stick with some meat on it.

"Korra!" Asami grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away from the booth.

"Asami, slow down! Where are we are going?"

"You'll see!"

Asami led Korra down the many different booths until they came to a large building with the words 'The Great Exhibition' on a giant banner. Korra let a grin come across her face. No wonder Asami was excited. This was the whole reason they were here. This was Asami's big shot after all. Together, they entered the building where numerous people were buzzing about the upcoming event. They all seemed to be showing each other little models of their inventions. As they walked by, Korra heard snippets of their conversations.

"It's the latest invention in mobile phones…"

"With my addition to modern airship…"

"That invention cannot hold a candle to mine dear sir…"

"This is so exciting," Asami looked like a kid in a sweet shop. Her eyes kept darting around, hoping to take in everything at once. "I wonder what I'll see first."

"How about the registration desk?" Korra let out a small laugh. She loved seeing her like this. It filled her with joy.

"That is actually a good idea," Asami copied Korra's laugh.

The pair of them walked up to the front desk where a small line had been forming. They only had to wait a few moments before they got to the front.

"Name?" the man behind the desk asked.

"Asami Sato, Future Industries."

The man looked down his list for Asami's name. A few seconds passed before a smile came over his face.

"Ah here we go, Asami Sato from Future Industries, all ticked off and checked in," the man handed Asami a lanyard with her name and company on it. She took it and wrapped it around her neck looking very happy. "Welcome to The Grand Exhibition Miss Sato."

"Thank you."

They moved out of the way so the next people could get signed in. As they walked back, Asami kept fiddling with her lanyard. It seemed like she couldn't believe what was happening – like she couldn't believe she was really here.

"So, now what?" Korra asked her.

Asami smiled. "Now we get things ready."

The rest of the day passed with the group helping Asami set up her section for The Great Exhibition. Everyone got a large area of space on the showground floor and Asami was no exception. Most of their stuff had already been shipped. Korra and Bolin were coordinating with Opal on the signboards (that had a lot of Future Industries logos all over it) while Mako helped Asami line up the Satomobile that would be on display.

"A little to your left Korra, no go to your right, your other right! That's perfect!"

The three of them stood back to admire their handiwork. They all high-fived each other before turning to look at what Mako and Asami were doing. They seemed to be trying to get the Satomobile to get into the right place. Mako was directing Asami while she sat in the driver's seat.

"A little forward, now back! Forward, to your left, no that's not right, go right, no left, no right!"

"Make up your mind Mako!"

"Asami a little to your left then straighten up," Korra called out.

Once Asami had done what she was told, she stepped out of the vehicle and gave it a good going over before stepping back.

"That seems to look great guys!" she said. "Thanks so much for your help."

"Oh it was our pleasure," the rest of them chimed together.

"Asami Sato right?" a man who was dressed in a very nice suit came up to them and gave her a once over.

"And you are?" Asami sounded a little cold. Maybe it was the way the man was leering at her or maybe it was the tone in his voice that brought out the coldness.

"Oh, mind my manners, Goro Kato at your service," he handed Asami his business card.

"Kato Incorporated?" she read out loud.

"The one and only," Goro gave a short laugh that chilled Korra's bones. "Now I hear your business is on the fritz and I would like to offer a very reasonable price for it."

"What?" Asami's eyes narrowed.

"Of course, we have to take into account recent things but I am sure you will accept what I can offer."

"Future Industries is not for sale," Asami said coolly.

Goro stiffened. "You will regret that. Although I don't know what I expected from Hiroshi Sato's daughter."

Asami flung his business card back at him. Korra doubted she had ever seen her angier than this.

"Get out of my sight," her voice was icy cold.

Goro let out a 'humph' before marching on.

"Are you okay?" Korra asked knowing the answer before she even got it.

"Oh, that slimy dirtball," Korra knew that Asami was thinking of worse things to say about the guy but didn't dare to say them out loud. Asami's fist were now curled into balls. "How dare he…" it looked like she couldn't speak any further due to how angry she was.

"Ignore him," Mako said. "We both know how great you and Future Industries are. You don't need an idiot like that making trouble for you."

Asami smiled at him. "You know Mako, you may just be right on this."

"Of course, I'm right," Mako puffed out his chest. "If that guy comes back, I'll show him a thing or too."

The three girls looked at each other and burst out giggling.

"Sure Mako," Asami said. "You can protect us."

**A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed this update. More to come!**


End file.
